It’s gone. If you walked toward the back of the park recently hoping to strap into that giant tether and swing over the lagoons, you probably noticed a massive, empty gap where a screaming fan favorite used to stand. The Cedar Point ride closure Frontier Fling wasn’t just some minor maintenance hiccup or a seasonal refurbishment. It was a permanent goodbye to a staple of the park's skyline.
Cedar Point moves fast. One minute you’re looking at a world-class scream machine, and the next, it’s being hauled away in pieces to make room for the "next big thing." That's just the nature of the industry, honestly. But for fans of the Skycoaster experience, this one stung a bit. Frontier Fling wasn't a coaster, but it offered a brand of terror that even Millennium Force couldn't quite replicate—that moment of pure, self-inflicted vulnerability when you are the one who has to pull the ripcord.
Why the Frontier Fling Closure Actually Happened
Rumors fly fast in the coaster community. Some people thought it was a safety issue; others guessed the park was just tired of paying the staffing costs for a ride that required so many operators per guest. The reality is much more pragmatic. Cedar Point is land-locked. They are on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Erie. Space is their most valuable currency.
When you look at the footprint of Frontier Fling, it took up a surprising amount of real estate in the Frontier Trail area. By late 2023, the writing was on the wall. The ride was officially retired to clear the path for the massive redevelopment of the Snake River Falls area. If you've been following the construction of Siren's Curse, the park's upcoming tilt coaster, you’ll see exactly where that logic leads. You can’t build a record-breaking multi-element coaster without clearing some brush first. Frontier Fling was that brush.
It's a business. Pure and simple. The ride was an "upcharge" attraction, meaning it cost extra on top of your park admission. While these rides are pure profit when they’re popular, their popularity naturally wanes as they age. Most guests today want the high-capacity, high-thrill experience included in their ticket price. They don't want to shell out an extra $20 to $30 for a 30-second swing, no matter how intense that initial drop feels.
The Logistics of Tearing Down a Giant
Taking down a Skycoaster isn’t like dismantling a Ferris wheel. It’s a delicate structural operation. The towers were massive. They dominated the view near the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. During the off-season, crews moved in with heavy machinery to dismantle the steel lattice structures that had stood since 1996.
Back then, it was called RipCord. Remember that? It sat over by the Iron Dragon before it was moved to the Frontier Trail in 2017. Moving it once was already a feat of engineering. Moving it a second time just didn't make sense. The metal fatigues. The tech ages. Sometimes it's cheaper to scrap it than to relocate it again.
What Guests Are Losing (And Gaining)
Honestly, Frontier Fling provided a specific type of fear. You’re strapped into a flight suit. You’re winched up 150 feet into the air. You’re hanging face-down, looking at the ground. Then, the voice over the radio tells you to pull the cord. If you don't pull it, you just hang there. That psychological pressure is unique.
But let's be real for a second. The capacity was terrible. On a busy Saturday, maybe a few hundred people got to ride it. Compare that to a modern B&M coaster that can cycle 1,200 people an hour. From a guest satisfaction standpoint, the Cedar Point ride closure Frontier Fling is actually a net positive for the park’s flow. It removes a bottleneck and opens up the sightlines toward the water.
The Evolution of the Frontier Trail
The Frontier Trail used to be the "quiet" part of the park. You went there for glass blowing, petting zoos, and maybe a smoked turkey leg. With the removal of Frontier Fling and the neighboring Snake River Falls, this entire zone is being transformed into a high-energy corridor. It’s a massive shift in the park's "vibe."
- Siren's Curse Construction: The new coaster is going to dominate this skyline.
- Crowd Flow: Removing the Fling's fencing opens up walking paths that were previously cramped.
- The Soundtrack: The constant "3-2-1-FLY!" recording that played on a loop is gone, replaced by the mechanical roar of new construction.
Comparing Frontier Fling to Remaining Skycoasters
If you’re a die-hard Skycoaster fan, you aren't totally out of luck, but you’ll have to travel. Kings Island still has their version, Xtreme Skyflyer. It offers a similar height and drop. But there was something about the Lake Erie breeze hitting you at 60 mph on Frontier Fling that felt different.
The industry is moving away from these types of rides in major theme parks. We’re seeing a shift toward immersive "flat rides" or high-capacity coasters. The "pay-per-ride" model is slowly dying out at flagship parks like Cedar Point because guests who pay $80+ for a ticket expect everything to be included. The friction of pulling out a credit card again just to ride a swing is a turn-off for the modern family.
The Ghost of RipCord
If you talk to long-time passholders, they still call it RipCord. It’s like how people still call the Sears Tower in Chicago by its old name. It’s a nostalgia thing. When it opened in the mid-90s, it was the height of "extreme" sports culture. Everything was about bungee jumping and skydiving back then. Frontier Fling was a product of its time.
Today, the "extreme" has been replaced by "smooth." People want 90-degree drops and multiple inversions without the head-banging or the awkwardness of being strapped into a canvas suit. The ride's removal is a marker of how much our tastes in adrenaline have evolved over the last thirty years.
What Should You Do on Your Next Visit?
Since you can't ride the Fling anymore, your strategy for the back of the park needs to change. The area around the old site is currently a construction zone, which means detours are common.
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- Check the App: Seriously. With the layout of the park changing so much due to the Cedar Point ride closure Frontier Fling, the digital map is your best friend to avoid dead ends.
- Hit the Classics: While the new stuff is being built, the Cedar Creek Mine Ride and Maverick are still the anchors of that area. Maverick’s line is always long, so hit it early.
- Watch the Skyline: If you’re a photography nerd, this is a rare time to get shots of the Frontier Trail without the lattice towers of the Skycoaster blocking the sunset.
The Technical Reality of Park Maintenance
People often ask why they can't just keep it "just in case." The answer is inspection costs. Every year, these rides require rigorous NDT (Non-Destructive Testing). You have to X-ray the welds. You have to check the steel for stress fractures. You have to replace the cables, which are incredibly expensive. If the ride isn't bringing in a specific ROI (Return on Investment), it's a liability.
Cedar Fair (now merged with Six Flags) is looking at their balance sheets more closely than ever. If a ride costs more to inspect and staff than it makes in ticket sales, it’s gone. Frontier Fling reached that tipping point. It wasn't "broken," it was just no longer efficient.
Why This Matters for the Future of Cedar Point
This closure is part of a "master plan." Cedar Point doesn't do anything by accident. By removing the Fling, they’ve signaled that the "Frontier" section of the park is the next major frontier for investment. We saw it with Steel Vengeance, we’re seeing it with the reimagining of the water rides, and we’re going to see it with whatever fills the gap left by the Fling's towers.
It’s a bit sad to see a piece of history go. But if you’ve ever stood in line for two hours for a coaster, you know that the park needs more high-capacity attractions. If losing a 30-year-old swing ride means we get a world-class coaster that can handle 15,000 people a day, most fans will take 그 trade-off every single time.
Actionable Steps for Park-Goers
Instead of mourning the loss of the Frontier Fling, pivot your park strategy to make the most of the current "construction era" at Cedar Point.
- Reroute your walk: Instead of cutting through the trail expecting a shortcut, be prepared for diversions near the old Snake River Falls site.
- Invest in a Fast Lane: Since the park is down one attraction in the back, the lines for Maverick and Steel Vengeance are likely to stay compressed and long.
- Visit the Museum: If you’re feeling nostalgic, head to the Town Hall Museum on the Frontier Trail. They often keep memorabilia and photos of retired rides. It's the best way to pay your respects to the "RipCord" era.
- Focus on the Lake: Take the time to walk the Boardwalk area instead. Since the back of the park is heavy with construction, the front of the park is currently more "complete" and offers a better atmosphere for relaxing between big rides.
The Frontier Fling is officially a memory. It joined the ranks of the Mean Streak, Disaster Transport, and the original Top Thrill Dragster. It’s part of the cycle. You can't have the new thrills without letting go of the old ones. Next time you’re walking past the empty plot, just remember that something faster, taller, and probably much more expensive is already taking its place. That’s the Cedar Point way.
Next Steps for Your Visit
To stay ahead of the crowds during this transition, download the official Cedar Point app and enable notifications for ride status updates. Since the park layout is shifting, these real-time alerts will save you from walking all the way to the back of the park only to hit a construction fence. Plan your route starting from the back (Steel Vengeance) and working your way forward to beat the "Frontier Trail" congestion that occurs by mid-afternoon.